Chapter 403: The Great Car Thief (2)
Chapter 403: The Great Car Thief (2)
A person had melted—a sinister incident. I did what needed to be done.
First, I sent my disciples far away to scout the perimeter so they wouldn't have to see this scene. However, since an anomaly had occurred where no one, including myself, noticed the vehicle being stolen, I strictly warned them not to separate under any circumstances.
After giving the disciples their orders, I called Ultimate over to conduct a forensic examination of the scene.
It took less than a minute for Ultimate to arrive.
In terms of absolute time, it wasn't long at all, but the lump of flesh that was once a human, sitting inside the Scrap Metal that was once a vehicle, was rapidly liquefying and losing its original shape.
While I hesitated to touch the corpse, unsure of what this phenomenon even was, the parts that had managed to maintain a human form quickly collapsed. They adhered to the car seats or piled up in layers on the floor beneath the driver's seat.
By the time Ultimate arrived, the only thing left was a pair of eyeballs bobbing atop a slurry of meat.
Looking at that sight, the only thought that crossed my mind was...
Why are the eyeballs left behind, and why are there no bones?
It was a dazed, irrelevant thought that had nothing to do with the gravity of the situation.
In the face of such an irrational sight, one becomes incapable of thinking straight.
A person had melted, leaving behind only their eyes and the clothes they had been wearing, reduced to a pile of pale, watery chunks.
The mysterious transparent liquid holding the melted flesh didn't seem to be ordinary water either; it was rapidly evaporating or being absorbed, its volume shrinking by the second.
I’ve seen many cruel things in my life, but even I felt a primal dread at the thought of reaching out toward these human remains.
Just as I was agonizing over how to investigate this...
"...It's watching."
Ultimate suddenly reached toward the remains and spoke.
Unable to understand what he meant, I simply followed his hand with my eyes. Ultimate dipped his hand into the meat slurry, fished out an eyeball with a long nerve trailing behind it, and then—
Squelch.
He closed his fist and crushed both eyeballs.
Transparent liquid leaked between Ultimate’s fingers from the act of destruction.
It was a questionable move, but I knew he wouldn't act without a reason.
"Your reasoning?"
"The pupils were moving even though life functions had clearly ceased. Furthermore, I read the report on the related incident—the one stating that only mouths were alive, floating along."
Ah, right.
I see. That’s the conclusion he drew from that.
"Then that means those scientist bastards used an infected subordinate to confirm our arrival."
Hmm.
They knew we were coming and responded in such a bizarre way.
It was exactly the kind of thing those brain-broken scientists would do.
The melted meat slurry.
This confirmed that the Doctors were in this area.
I didn't know how they would make their next move, but for now, it was best to protect Baek Si-hyun and Han A-bin.
Just as I was thinking that and preparing to regroup with my two disciples, whom I had been keeping in my line of sight...
"I wish that were the case, but a worst-case scenario is occurring to me."
Ultimate, who was twisting the vehicle's metal to create a steel coffin for the remains, uttered those ominous words.
"...What do you mean?"
"That this victim wasn't a pre-prepared pawn... but that the drug has already spread throughout all of Detroit, and countless humans are being used as chess pieces."
"...."
That was a hell of a worst-case deduction.
In other words, it wasn't just one entity they had prepared in advance.
It was the possibility that they had used a random, drug-contaminated human who just happened to be near us.
The sheer chill of that thought flashed through my mind.
After burying the steel coffin in the ground, the two of us talked as we headed back to the disciples.
"That can't be it. It hasn't been that long since they abandoned their base and arrived here. Even for them, spreading the drug this quickly is..."
Yes, let's think hopefully.
No matter how I looked at it, spreading the drug that fast was physically difficult.
I spoke those words to Ultimate as much to reassure myself as him, but...
"It might be more accurate to think of it the other way around. 'What if their base was Detroit from the very beginning?'"
"...."
I couldn't find a single word to refute that.
"In the initial report you submitted, you noted they were outsiders to that specific group. And based on the data provided, their funding sources were spread externally. The Management Bureau is still tracking them, but it is certain that their base is located somewhere."
Ultimate’s pace toward the disciples slowed.
Mine did the same.
It was likely because we both shared the same desire to keep this conversation away from those two.
"So, that base is Detroit?"
Damn it, the logic was getting stronger.
"We must consider it highly likely that this is either their headquarters or a location where they have been conducting experiments for a long time."
"Whew..."
This is annoying.
Of course, it was still just a hypothesis based on a worst-case scenario, not a confirmed fact.
However, the danger level had spiked so sharply that I had to proceed under the assumption that the theory might be correct.
I immediately pulled a thermos from my coat and gulped down some Liquid X.
Then, I reached back into my coat, pulled out a metal rod, and crunched down on it.
Once I had calmed my frayed nerves, I turned back to Ultimate.
I spoke words that I couldn't have uttered without being a little 'intoxicated.'
"Call the Management Bureau Defense Force. Issue an emergency alert."
"Wasn't this a secret mission?"
"We just need to secure the Doctors ourselves. What matters is the fact that the contamination has spread enough that Detroit needs to be blockaded and suppressed immediately."
At this point, worrying about information leaks regarding the Factory Deep Underground was a luxury we couldn't afford. Hiding the truth about the underground was important, but our priority had to be maintaining this fragile peace that felt like it could blow away at any moment.
Until now, it felt like we were walking a tightrope between the underground and peace, but that deduction had completely tipped The Scales.
Even if I have to level Detroit to the ground, I will catch those Doctors and secure that drug.
I will end this phenomenon here.
No matter what.
Having made that vow and finished the detailed coordination with Ultimate, I joined the disciples and waited for the Management Bureau’s response.
The disciples looked confused, their expressions suggesting they wanted me to explain the situation.
I kept my mouth shut and waited for the answer.
Before long...
"The reply just came in. The Management Bureau says that large-scale military activity might affect their reputation, so they need time to consider..."
Ultimate, still maintaining his cold demeanor, whispered the answer to me while standing apart from the disciples.
The answer was, predictably, one I didn't like.
"Telepathy. You can relay it, right?"
I made the request to Ultimate, my voice laced with anger.
Of course, my anger wasn't directed at Ultimate, who was merely delivering the message.
It was directed at the Management Bureau High Command, who had been consistently pulling this kind of crap from the past until now.
"...Your reputation will suffer, you know?"
Ultimate spoke out of concern for me, having guessed what I was about to do.
"I don't have any reputation left to lose anyway. Worry about yourself. You're the one who forced a connection to the command center by being stubborn."
Ignoring all official protocols, no less.
You'll probably face disciplinary action later too.
I finished my thought and raised a hand to my ear.
The gesture didn't actually affect the telepathy, but it was meant to signal him to connect me quickly.
"I am sorry you have to experience this in my country."
"Don't worry. I don't have many good memories of America anyway."
To be precise, I probably don't have good memories of any country on Earth.
At my words, Ultimate gave a silent nod.
A sensation of something connecting inside my brain followed.
It was a sensation I couldn't produce myself, but one I had experienced occasionally through relays.
I adapted to it immediately and waited for the other party to speak.
—Is this Crimson★Hammer? I have heard the reasoning. However, a military operation of that scale requires immense time and cost, so the application cannot be passed immediately...
Aha, time and cost, is it?
—Cut the bullshit and send them. Now. That time and cost—you bastards can already more than afford it.
I barked back immediately.
I poured quite a bit of emotion into it; I wondered if it sounded like I was screaming on the other end.
Even Ultimate, acting as the relay, reflexively covered his own ears.
Since the Management Bureau command usually uses devices that receive telepathy and operate like a speakerphone, my voice was likely booming throughout the room.
—Please lower your volume. We are not saying we won't send them. However, no matter how high-level the request, applications and approvals naturally take time...
Hahaha, yeah, I bet they do for you people.
You blockheaded bastards who can't move without a manual.
A 'tenured' position only means something during peacetime.
It's meaningless in an emergency.
I won't deny that manuals are necessary to maintain an organization, but not right now.
—I assume the situation spiraled this far because you left Detroit alone to save on that 'time and budget'?
I roared.
Lower my volume? Like I give a damn.
—You are overstepping. The Management Bureau always works for world peace...
—Stop the crap. What's your security clearance? You're a low-level grunt, so it's lower than mine, right? Then do you know about this? The plan to maintain society by controlling slums in various countries. You might know it. It's not that high a level of secrecy. If you know it, bow your head; if you don't, shut up and bring someone who does. What? You can't clear out a slum? You can do anything. Don't underestimate the Management Bureau. We just choose not to.
Suddenly, the other side went silent.
But I didn't stop.
—The result of that plan is a cesspool. Do you know about the Nanjido Incident from a while back? Even though that place was ruled by a group somewhat friendly to the Bureau, a nuke was about to drop near a national capital. But from what I've seen of Detroit, it's worse than that place.
Of course, that was a lie.
The nuke at Nanjido was due to various complex reasons rather than the place itself.
And I didn't actually know if Detroit was truly that far gone yet.
After all, we were only at the entrance to Detroit.
—So, you bastards, I won't deny the plan itself, but shouldn't you squeeze out the pus caused by it? No, it's not even pus. It's a tumor. A cancerous growth that could collapse the world is growing because of our mistakes, and you're saying you can't carry out the operation because of your current reputation and budget? Hey. Does an emergency alert from a high-ranking Hero with Command Authority look like a joke to you? Are you ignoring me because I'm currently off the organizational chart?
I hated selling my own brand, but I had no choice.
What I was doing now wasn't much different from those higher-ups.
Relying on the title in front of me to badger subordinates.
But it was necessary.
Because there were definitely high-ranking officials listening to this conversation.
—Say something, hey, how many years have you been in and what's your department? I'll...
As I continued to spew words that would further ruin my reputation...
—Static—.
Suddenly, a strange sound echoed.
An electronic noise that shouldn't be heard in telepathy.
It meant the person on the other end had changed.
The real command center had connected.
The moment I realized that...
—Lee Ha-ram. I would appreciate it if you stopped blurting out classified information everywhere.
—Shut it. Just call the Defense Force. I'm going to level Detroit.
—The matter is being seriously discussed. However, even at the fastest, we need about two days...
—Two days? Make it one.
Right, this is how it should be.
How nice it is when people you can actually talk to show up.
—No matter what you say, it's two days.
Tsk. Is that impossible?
Well, since my Command Authority doesn't actually include calling the Defense Force, the Bureau was already giving this a lot of consideration.
It meant there were people at the top who recognized the severity of the situation.
Well, since I got confirmation that the Bureau would call the Defense Force, let's move on to the next thing.
The Defense Force was only one of the two cards I intended to play here anyway.
A regular combat unit for the direct strike to blockade and suppress Detroit.
—Fine, then that can't be helped. Now for the next request...
The next one was the important one.
Entities within the Management Bureau that I could move with my own authority.
—Call in the entire Assassination Team. Their former captain is calling.
I didn't know how many years it had been since I last used this authority.
But I would use every bit of power available to me here.
Unlike previous incidents, this was...
Though classified, it was a purely public matter where I could finally use my official authority.